Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-09-03
IN rHE WILDS OF ALASKA.
The Recent Jaunt Of congressman Hit
and Reed.

Chicago Tribune: Congressman Rob
ert K. Hit, of Mount Carroll. Illinois,
and Congressman Thos. b. Reed, OF
Maine. have just returned from Il very
long trip across the country and away
1orthwestward even to the ragged
edges of civilization. They got rs far
rs the City Of Juneau, in Alaeka, these
gentlemen dld, and after rowing around
awhile in the primeval solitudes of that
region were beginning to congratulate
themselves on having gotten out of the
unacademized tracks of modern prog
ress when they suddenly pulled up
short by running across a fu~ll-hedged
strike, the strikers being Indians en-
ployed in the Treadwell mines at
Douglas Island, on the Alaska coast.
Most of the workers in the mines are
Red Indians, who are paid 81 a day
and their board. They don't put on
any of the unnecessary friils of civiii-
z~ation, such as shirts and socks, these
Indians don't; but when 1t comes to a
strike and to standing up for the rights
Of the union against the grinding
tyranny of organized capital they get
there just the same. In this particular
strike, however, they didn't get there
not n~, ,,Dyn <hon thn (Nhioo nr hripb-
layers did about the same time. They
wanted $3.50 a day and struck, the
mine-owners shut down. Then the In
dams after a little while got tired of
striking and begged to be taken back.
Next time they will do better,
quire into the relations of yellow capt.
tai and red labor that the two famous
congressman went forth. Ii was purely
a pleasure trip-with a little business
on the side "a incidentalS. They
reveled in the magnificent by day and
in politics by night. They caught sal
non and black bass and investigated
the Mormon question. They chased
the wild goat in his lar and made
Fourth Of July speeches. They swan
in the rivers and camped in the woods;
they gathered staff ties Of immigration,
and OF the canning interests, and of the
wheat crop, and OF the value of landed
property; they stopped ut big hotels
and received political delegations; they
climbed the mountains and fought the
mosquitoes ana had their noses peeled
by the July sun-altogether they had a
lovely time.
ave started about June TO-" said
Mr.. Reed, chatting with a reporter last
night, land stopped first to take in St.
Paul. Then we went on TO Livingston,
on the Northern Pacific, and thence to
Yellowstone park, where w spent u
week. WI had the good fortune to see
the eruption of the most celebrated
geysers."
Are there many visitors at the Vel
lowstone this year?"
s'Yes, the hotels are crowded; people
pouring in rapidly. The 10 was
hardly off the ground when we got
there
Middle or JuneP
Eyes. There was snow on both
sides of the track. Why, they told us
1t had been four feet deep u week or
two previously. We visited the great
canon of the Yellowstone. We went
thence to Tacoma"
Both gentlemen described the scenery
at Mount Tacoma as something mag
niiicent-Mr. Hit saw nothing in
Europe to equal it. The great. gilt
tering ice-clad peak rising almost pre-
cipitously from the water, the sheets
of ice %gljstening in the July sunshine,
the forests the lakes. the atmoshere-
everything was sublimely impressive
yet utterly delightful. Those adjectives
are not Mr.. Reeds.
Leaving Tacoma" continued Mr..
Reed, ave took the steamer Olympian
and spent eleven days in going to
Sitka and return. The trip to Alaska
is almost all the way inland through
narrow channels and inlets with
mountains on either side. The water
is perfectly quiet for many hundred
miles, the steamer being exposed to
the ocean swell for only a few hours.
1t is u most delightful passage. The
weather was mild and the atmosphere
moist and hazy. There was a good
deal OF rain in Alaska while we were
therefor u few days we did not see
the sur
'.ls reminds ME n good deal of west
ern Scotland both in climate and
geographical outlines except that the
island mountains are much higherthan
on the Scottish coast
ave spent the Fourth of July ut
Juneau" continued Mr.. Reed, land
celebrated"
.'Mado speeches." explained Mr..
Hit.
aid the people of Juneau celebrate
independence Day." asked the re-
porter.
"rhey did. The whole population
was out-Indians and all. The total
population is 1000 to 1900. IL is the
biggest city in Alaska. Sitka has only
about 500.
Were there any speakers besides
you two gentlemen"
20, yes. Several Of the leading citi-
Gems spoke. Then there were games
and horse races and all sorts of fun,